A thread to discuss Japanese weapon based martial arts and our own martial journey with like minded people, discussion of other Asian systems is welcomed too.>what is kendo?Kendo is a modern Japanese budō that uses shinai (bamboo sword) and armor for combat, in its modern purpose is a way to strengthen body and spirit and develop character.>is kendo a martial art?Kinda>what do I need to start kendo?A shirt and sweat pants your club will likely borrow you the rest when you start>what is iaido?Is a Japanese martial art, influenced by zen practices based on different kata (drills) and subdivided in different schools with solo drills based on drawing the sword from the scabbard to defend from an imaginary opponent.>what is kenjutsu?Is a old form of Japanese budō based on the use of various weapons as they were used back in the day by the samurai, depending on ryūha you can have various way of teaching, weapons, presence or lack of sparring and time/place of origin.>what do I need to start kenjutsu/iaido?Sweat pants and a shirt again, depending on club ryūha you may be required to buy additional equipment but at the very start you don’t need anything.Recommended reads The book of five rings Kendo, culture of the sword Kendo jidenroku (Hiroo Hanazawa)Musashi’s ken, kendo nito ryū waza & the rationale Kendo kyohon (Takano Sasaburo) (in general have a look at his works and publications related for a look at pre war kendo)Kurikara: The Sword and the SerpentStrategy and the art of peace Unraveling the cords (Nakano Jinuemon Shumei)Katori Shinto ryū (Otake Risuke) (hard to find, if someone has a pdf please link it)
To start off the thread I have a question for all kendoka.Do you think that judges/point scoring is starting to be detrimental to kendo overall?The reason why I ask this is because many times when talking to my sensei and other senior students the reason they give me to not pursue techniques/guards like nitō or the left kote strike is that many times the judges won’t give you a point because they don’t know how to judge it.I also read that many waza aren’t used anymore because of this same reason.Related to this.To answer an anon from two threads ago, I did try to use hasso/inno no kamae in jigeiko, my conclusions so far is that its effective but restrictive, it’s a good gateway for unconventional attacks because many techniques can be done by advancing at a 45 degree angle instead of straight forward, katate men and do also come out very well but are more difficult to control than normal due to the increased force that the right arm can give.
Currently doing old school Shotokan karate for empty hands and something else for weapons, but my kouhai is interested in Jap swordsmanship. Trying to help him out on it and possibly visit the dojos to see stuff. There's a Katori Shinto-ryu and a Shinkendo dojo here in our region (both dojos are in different cities). What do you recommend for a beginner in Jap swordsmanship? Already visited the Katori Shinto-ryu dojo and found it interesting, completely alien to our local swordsmanship. A bit expensive tho.
>>205127There are several branches of KSR,Some considered illegitimate some not (That is a very complicated political conversation) and it can vary in quality from instructor to instructor, However in general, it would interest me a lot more.. Shinkendo, which I only know a little about, is largely based off Nakamura ryu, which comes from the Japanese imperial military style of swordsmanship, which was very much a return to basics style. KSR on the other hand, is one of the most comprehensive and oldest styles, and also covers other weapons.
>>205129>Some considered illegitimate some notLooks like I need to look into this. Yeah, maybe I'll do more research on the Katori Shinto-ryu branch we have here, then go to the Shinkendo dojo to check it out. Does Shinkendo do sparring though? I know Katori doesn't since I asked.
>>205135>Looks like I need to look into this.Its real complicated. I will try to explain it as best I can. The mainline is headed by a hereditary headmaster, and if a teacher doesn't have a relation with him, they aren't considered legit. To make matters more complicated, there is another line, called the Noda-ha, or Date that has been independent since the Edo period, so that rule does not apply to them. That does not necessarily reflect the teaching quality however, only what their standing is according to the hereditary "rights holder" and those associated with him. >Does Shinkendo do sparring though?I cannot say for sure, but what I have read indicates its not a big part of their curriculum. Sparring isn't a standard part of many kenjutsu systems anyway, I wouldn't necessarily take that as proof of quality, but if your friend likes free sparring he might want to look elsewhere.
